This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Egypt jails 7 men for life over sex assaults in Tahrir Square

Egyptian court sentences men to life in prison in first such heavy sentences since government vowed to crack down on rampant sexual violence.

Egyptian men sentenced to life in prison for sexual assaults on women during a number of public rallies in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square, attend their trial at a court in Cairo on Wednesday.
(Aly Hazzaa / AP)

Egyptian men who were sentenced to life in prison for sexual assault hide their faces at a court in Cairo on Wednesday. Sexual violence has been on the rise in Egypt. (Aly Hazzaa / The Associated Press)

By The Associated Press

Wed., July 16, 2014

CAIRO—An Egyptian court sentenced seven men to life in prison on Wednesday for sexual assaults on women during public rallies in Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square, in the first such heavy sentences since the government vowed to crack down on rampant sexual violence.

Sexual harassment has long been a problem in Egypt, but assaults have become more frequent and brutal over the past three years of turmoil, with frenzied mobs targeting women who take part in political gatherings.

The charges stemmed from four different incidents of sexual assault this year and last year, including one during celebrations of the inauguration of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in June.

Videos of the brutal attacks posted online caused a public outcry, and pushed the new leader to make the highest profile condemnation of the escalating phenomenon and order a crackdown on perpetrators. A week later, 13 suspects were sent to trial in a speedy referral aimed at sending a message of deterrence.

The various charges ranged from attempted rape, kidnapping and assault to torture and attempted murder. The maximum sentence was life in prison.

Article Continued Below

In a nationally televised session Wednesday, the judge sentenced the seven men to life in prison. Three of them received multiple life sentences for taking part in different assaults. Another two men each received two 20-year sentences.

The men were to be placed on surveillance for five years once they finish their sentences. They were also ordered to pay financial compensation.

In one of his last decisions before stepping down in June, Adly Mansour, Egypt’s interim president and el-Sissi’s predecessor, decreed sexual harassment a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. The decree amended the country’s existing laws, which did not criminalize sexual harassment.

Harassers face between six months and five years in prison, with harsher sentences reserved for offenders holding a position of power over their victims, such as being a woman’s superior at work or being armed.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com